Brock Osweiler: “I would love the opportunity to be a Denver Bronco until I retire.”

Denver Post | Dec 30

When Brock Osweiler left the Broncos as a free agent in March 2016, no one could have expected the roller coaster he would ride for 18 months before finding his way back to Denver. And certainly no one could have expected the one he would continue to ride in the following three months.

But when the season ends Sunday and the Broncos begin to look ahead to 2018, Osweiler, a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, hopes to continue the ride.

“Absolutely. I would love the opportunity to be a Denver Bronco until I retire,” he said. “I love this city. I love this organization and I would love to be a part of getting this team back to the standard that I know John (Elway) wants.”

Osweiler signed a one-year deal with the Broncos in September with a $16 million salary that was footed primarily by the Browns, who acquired him in a trade with Houston six months earlier. The Broncos were on the hook for only $775,000 of his salary this year, pennies for a veteran they knew well and who had spent four years learning behind Peyton Manning.

Osweiler’s signing in September was a surprise to many, given the seemingly bittersweet ending to his first stint in Denver. But when he returned to Dove Valley, he made it clear he was “beyond thankful” to be back and that Denver “is home.”

Since that day, Osweiler has been one of three quarterbacks on the Broncos’ carousel to serve as a backup, starter and inactive player on game days, each twice this year. Along the way, they swapped offensive coordinators when Mike McCoy was fired, tweaked the offensive scheme and dealt with multiple shifts on the offensive line.